Back to school

I dread Mondays, especially after the school holidays. It’s hard to switch from a laid-back routine to a rushed schedule. But this past Monday was a blessing because DH was on leave. So DD had the privilege of having both parents sending her to school.And I had the privelege of not having to drive on a manic Monday.

DH told her on Sunday night that he would drive her to school the next day. “Won’t you be working?” She asked with skepticism.

On Monday morning, the first thing that she said to me when she opened her eyes was “Daddy will send me to school to today”. I asked if she would like me to tag along, and she said yes.

Later on when she was having breakfast, she asked why I wasn’t taking my breakfast too. I told her that I was not hungry as it was still too early for me. She just stared at me with those eyes that said I was lying.

The reason for her doubt was that a few weeks ago, she found out that DH and I usually go on a breakfast date after sending her to school whenever he’s on leave. She went ballistic upon discovering that her parents do have fun together when she’s in school. From that day, we learnt to keep our little rendezvous a secret.

Anyway, as we approached the school gate last Monday morning, I was a bit concerned that she would be reluctant to go to school. But she proved me wrong when she nonchalantly walked into the school compound after salam with us and waving us goodbye. Yes, she has settled in school comfortably.

That afternoon, the first thing she told me when I picked her up from school was that she had won a prize in a colouring contest that was held before the school holiday in conjunction with maulidur rasul celebration. I was pleasantly surprised, especially because I didn’t expect her to win at all. Sure, she told me before that she coloured nicely because she wanted to win. But as much as she inherits my passion for the art, she also inherits my impatience for tedious work. In fact, she never gets grade A for her Pendidikan Seni art work.

She said she was very happy when she was called to the stage during school assembly to accept her prize. At first the teacher said “Yasmin Z, 5G” so she thought someone else had won. Then the teacher realized her mistake and said “Yasmin Z, 1G”, and her friends started telling her “Go Yasmin! Go!” The prize is a Disney photo frame.

That was a little boost to her morale and a nice start to an otherwise dreaded week (her Ujian Bulanan started on Tuesday. This time, I found out way in advance!)